Project Details
Projekt
Holocene Landscape History in the forest area „Schweinert“ – a geoarchaeological study in Germany’s largest Bronze Age barrow cemetery
Subject Area
Physical Geography
Term
from 2020 to 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 452251818
The forest area "Schweinert", located in South Brandenburg, hosts Germany’s largest Bronze Age barrow cemetery. About 650 well preserved burial mounds, dated to the Lausatian culture, are spread over a total area of approximately 30 ha. The burial ground is situated in the alluvial floodplain of the river Schwarze Elster and is dissected by a system of fluvial channels. Within the scope of this project geoarchaeological investigations are carried out in order to clarify important questions regarding natural site conditions and to reconstruct the Holocene landscape development. The main questions of the project are: (1) What is the Holocene landform-soil-sediment context of the barrow cemetery in the Schweinert? (2) Can we increase our knowledge of the necropolis by new archeological findings? (3) Are there stratigraphic connections between the Schweinert and the Holocene formations in the wider environment? In order to answer these questions, we use a geomorphological-pedological-sedimentological approach with toposequences as core element. Along the toposequences, soils and parent materials are described, sampled and genetically classified by means of soil pits and soil drillings. Running parallel to the catenas, geophysical prospection by ERT and GPR will be performed. Furthermore, geomagnetic measurements of selected subplots will be carried out. On basis of geophysical prospection results sites will be selected for archaeological excavations. In a synopsis of the findings, we intend to obtain new insights concerning the landscape history of the most important Bronze Age barrow cemetery of Central Europe.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
Co-Investigators
Dr. Markus Agthe; Dr. Albrecht Bauriegel; Dr. Eberhard Bönisch; Dr. Florian Hirsch; Dr. Anna Schneider
